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Meet Steve Scott, outstanding world-class athlete with an indefatigable zest for life and will to win. Here is the story of the track star and the man, whose talent and determination have taken him to the pinnacle of worldwide track and field for the better part of his twenty-seven-year career. A three-time Olympian blessed with the miler's prized combination of strength and speed, he earned a top-ten track and field world ranking eleven times and distinction as America's number-one miler from 1977 to 1986. The Miler takes us inside Scott's training regimen and mental preparation techniques, then invites us behind the scenes into the controversial topics of drug abuse, track-and-field politics, and under-the-table payoffs that transformed mile racing in the United States and abroad. Scott recounts his evolution from promising high school runner to disciplined international elite athlete. He also covers the modern history of the sport, from the days when athletes had to wait hours after meets to pick up their meager appearance fees to the current era of powerful sports agents, lucrative sponsorships, and bigmoney prizes.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

The sport of track and field has only a limited audience in the U.S. American athletes typically receive recognition only after setting a world record or winning an Olympic gold medal. Steve Scott, America's top miler throughout the 1980s, did neither. In his book, The Miler, Scott writes of a running career in which he unquestionably was America's best miler (his U.S. record of 3:47.69, set in 1982, still stands), and certainly one of the world's best (10 consecutive years ranked among the world's top 10 milers by Track & Field News). Yet without a world record or Olympic gold medal to his credit, Scott remained virtually unknown outside the small U.S. track and field community. The Miler traces Scott's reluctant beginnings as a high school runner, his development into a national-class competitor in college, and his emergence as a world-class racer. Along the way we're treated to profiles of Scott's leading international competitors, all icons in the history of the mile: John Walker, Eamonn Coghlan, Sebastian Coe, Steve Ovett and Said Aouita. Scott beat them all, but not in either of the two races -- the '84 or '88 Olympics -- which would have brought him the recognition and financial rewards that accompany a gold medal. The Miler is not simply a book about running. Scott details the struggles he faced to support his wife and kids early in his career, when track and field was still regarded as an "amateur" sport. Scott also writes frankly of the toll the nomadic career of a track and field athlete exacted upon his marriage. Although it probably was cathartic for Scott to write these passages, it is uncomfortable for even a dedicated track & field fan to read.Read more ›

Near the end of his autobiography, Steve Scott talks about running in the National Cross Country Championships in Montana (there are pictures of the race in the book). It was 4 degreees and snowy. Scott was past his prime as one of the greatest milers in the world. He didn't need to run the race; few World Class milers run serious 10K cross country at any time, let alone in their declining years. But Steve Scott loves to run. He loves to train very hard and run very fast. He finished 10th that day, not far behind distance greats like Pat Porter and Todd Williams, and just a few seconds away from qualifying as a member of the U.S. team for the World Cross Counttry Championships. Afterwards he overheard a couple of young runners talking. One said, in obvious surprise, "Did you see Steve Scott finished 10th? I thought he'd retired." His friend responded, "I thought he was dead."

Well Steve Scott ain't dead folks, and I'll bet wherever he is right now he's still running far and fast. Scott's autobiography is hard to find now. It never caught on the way some of the books for joggers did - or those about another Steve: Prefontaine. But read Scott's book if you can find it. Serious runners will love it and even joggers will be fascinated by its honesty and by the character - in both senses of the word - that Scott reveals. Jim Ryun remains the legendary American miler, but he would have been 30 meters behind Scott in their best races. Ryun gave up the sport in his early 20s because he couldn't handle the pressure; Scott raced at the highest levels for 20 years.

With the help of Marc Bloom, the longtime dedicated chronicler of Cross Country and Track, Scott helps us understand his love for running and for being really fit. He was "Pre" without the sharp edges.Read more ›

Had seen Steve run on a number of occasions both on TV and in person, always impressed. What a record...136 sub-four minute miles run plus if you count the 1500 meters run under 3:42....nothing but incredible. Blessed with a gift he took it to the next level and beyond. The book was most interesting to read, a fresh look at the behind the scenes and the life of a world class runner and its demands. Looking back over the years I think to win a Metal in the Olympics takes a bit of luck too .... besides all the talent, work/training, mental toughness required as well as arriving healthy with a positive frame of mind ... all rolled into one for that special day....Takes a bit of Luck too.....years ago I had heard someone say "If the race or event was held on a different day a different winner would be crowned." Once you get to the Olympics...it is an honor to be their for your county it is a crap shoot. ....Recommend this book to an person who either runs competitively or just for fitness.